Abstract:

In this paper authors analyze the process of e-learning by evaluating teaching methods, materials and content that has been provided by the teachers on LMS platform Moodle. The focus of the paper is on the quantitative and qualitative structure of the online courses of postgraduate study program Communication management (EQF level 7) during COVID-19 pandemic in the academic year 2020/2021 and a comparison with the same programme before the COVID-19 situation from the academic year 2018/2019. Institutional implementation of the LMS platform Moodle was in 2005 and in 2008 analyzed study programme started its performance as blended learning. Development of e-learning system and blended learning over the past years has been focused on developing institutional capacities for teaching support and on empowering and motivating teachers to use LMS. As authors demonstrated in previous papers, blended learning particularly on this study programme was facing various difficulties, from low level of teachers’ information capacities to the teachers and students lack of motivation for technology use. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the teaching process of this study programme was instantly transferred from blended to online environment supported by LMS Moodle and Microsoft Teams and teachers and students were suddenly fostered to use digital communication platform as obligatory. From institutional level, expectations were that new educational context caused by pandemic would increase the intensity and the quality of the use of LMS by the teachers. In order to test these expectations or assumptions, authors provided quantitative and qualitative analysis of teaching methods, materials and content used in online courses of the LMS Moodle. In order to conduct the analysis, an evaluation model was created which consisted of quantitative and qualitative criteria for evaluation of LMS courses. Analysis covered 25 courses, content and materials on the LMS platforms and methods of implementation of online courses. Results of quantitative analysis of the content suggest that amount of teaching content and materials did not raise significantly during the pandemic. Furthermore, results of qualitative analysis show the lack of teachers’ instructions and the lack of interrelation-ships before and after the assigned tasks and other materials needed for independent learning. Finally, on the basis of these results, authors conclude that the institutional recommendation on the implementation of online teaching at the higher education level doesn’t have a significant repercussion on the quality and quantity of teaching methods, materials and content related to LMS and their utility in online courses using LMS.

Keywords:

e-learning environment, LMS platform, blended learning, online teaching, e-learning course content.